A project inventory is a list of active projects with information that can include planned
start and finish dates, the name of the project leader, project priorities, budget totals, project ID numbers and other key project characteristics. Follow these steps to build a project inventory.

The list of clear, active project titles forms the basis for a project inventory.

This project inventory example, which has been edited to six of a water district's 43 projects, points the way for building any project inventory. A list
of project titles in the second column starts the inventory. Optionally, each project can have a unique project identification number, as shown in the column on the left.

Project #

Project Title

W3-174

Depot Road Water Main Replacement

W3-244

Central Street Water Main Replacement

W1-168

Pumping Station #4 Refurbishment

H2-191-2

Computer System Hardware Upgrade

W4-183

Westborough Water Storage Capacity Increase

H0-165

Processes Analysis Project

The choice of project numbers is up to the user. This water district wanted its project numbers to be more than randomly chosen numbers, so those that start with "W"
are "water" projects and those that start with "H" are internal "house" projects. Some projects cross two or more fiscal years. The last "2" in the fourth
project number, H2-191-2, indicates that the Computer System Hardware Upgrade is in its second year.

Any information that the planner sees as relevant can be added in new columns.

Projects need a sense of time, so information like project start, project finish, project duration and status (not started, finished, in progress, or waiting) can
provide timelines. The project's leader, its fiscal year budget and a subtitle under the project title have also been added to the example.

Project #

Project Title

Duration(months)

Status

FY Budget

Project Leader

W3-174

Depot Road Water Main Replacement Replace 2.5 km of existing pipe

145d

40%

$150k

J. Watson

W3-244

Central Street Water Main Replacement Replace and upgrade 1.0 km of existing pipe

Westborough Water Storage Capacity Increase 40,000 to 60,000 units. Now waiting on legal.

5m

On hold

$67k

A. Lopez

H0-165

Processes Analysis Project Establishing project definition and scope

6m

0%

TBD

TBD

How to use a project inventory.

Making a project inventory isn't particularly difficult and it does provide considerable information for decision making and determining project status. It
becomes relatively easy to determine tradeoffs between projects such as which projects to keep, which to cut, which need to be redefined, and which need more (or fewer) resources.

Analysis takes the multiple project manager deep into the inventory, even on an abbreviated project inventory
like this sample. The first project, W3-174, is
a 145-day, $150,000 project that's 40% complete. It's replacing existing pipe which would be fairly routine for a water district so nothing seems out of place.
The second project is done, so there is little need for concern about it, unless the project manager knows otherwise. There's nothing unusual about the third
project at the pumping station either. H2-191-2, doesn't have a status other than "to be determined" (TBD). Computer hardware upgrades are not the daily
work at a water district. This is sufficient reason to begin asking some questions about whether this project, which is now in its second year, is really on-track
or not. The next project is on hold for legal reasons. Has it paused or has it stopped? This will be something to look into. The last project hasn't been
started, yet the note tells us that the project is "establishing project definition and scope," but if that's true, shouldn't the project be at least 1-2% underway?
It's probably something simple like getting a new status update which can be dealt with later, though if the definition and scope document does not appear soon, that would provide cause for concern.

Project inventories find uses in project reports, management presentations, and in fending off, or at least placing new projects from
over-delegators in perspective. Most importantly they elevate managing multiple projects to the level of controlling fires rather than running around stamping them out.